Cheteshwar Pujara vows to take on added responsibility for Yorkshire

Cheteshwar Pujara

London, April 11 (IANS) India's Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has said he is willing to shoulder the responsibility of being Yorkshire's premier batsman as he does when he plays for his country.

The Indian No.3 batsman, roped in until the end of May as a late replacement for veteran Pakistan batsman Younus Khan, will be playing for the county side for first time in the Championship clash with newly-promoted Worcestershire from Sunday.

Pujara, who averages 47.11 in Tests and 57.01 in first-class cricket, said: "The state team I play for back home, Saurashtra, I have always been a player that the team looks up to," Pujara was quoted as saying by ecb.co.uk on Saturday.

"In the India team I bat at number three, a key position where you have to play with a lot of responsibility. I will try and do the same here."

Younus, who played for Yorkshire in 2007 pulled out of an agreement and the club turned to Pujara to fill in the veteran batsman's shoes after the 27-year-old failed to secure an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract.

Pujara has so far scored six centuries in 27 Tests for India and has experienced English conditions during a short spell with Division Two outfit Derbyshire towards the latter stages of last season.

Pujara will follow in the footsteps of compatriots Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh when he makes his Yorkshire debut on Sunday.

"When I heard that I was the third Indian cricketer to play for Yorkshire, it was a great feeling and an honour for me," he said.

"When I was playing for Derbyshire last season, I saw the kind of cricket Yorkshire played and they won the County Championship as well. I never had a second thought when I had the option to play for Yorkshire."

Asked whether he had spoken to Tendulkar about representing the county, Pujara replied: "No, I didn't get a chance to speak to him yet. But, when I have a chance, I will speak to him about his experiences."